A Matter Of Time
by KoalasObviously
Summary: When Nodacchi returns from time-travels, the news he brings will shock the Academy. Especially one pupil, who will bear the responsibility of plunging into a dark game, to save the school. But in the end, it's all a race. It's all just a matter of time...
1. Chapter 1

My first multi-chapter! Oooh, I'm all giddy! Gakuen Alice is **disclaimed** all the way ;) Apart from Hatsuhara, my patchy OC, who probably won't turn up again.

**A Matter of Time  
><strong>by Koalas

CHAPTER 1

_She put her hand up, shielding her eyes from the sun. It was a beautiful mid-afternoon, and she was certain today she would be first in line, first to enjoy the glorious texture and taste… She suddenly experienced a weird feeling, and, sensing a threatening presence, turned around. There, an object, flying through the air, was hurtling right towards her…_

The girl jumped as the creature landed in her lap, a surprised yelp leaving her mouths. The bunny looked up at her, twitched its nose, and prepared to hop off again.

Ruka leapt out of his seat.

"Bunny!" he cried, as he caught his animal, before it could escape.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, he gets like this when he sees Hotaru's cannon." He apologised again, and went back to his seat, the rabbit buried in his chest.

Mikan looked up, and sure enough, Hotaru was tinkering with her invention, on her desk. Mikan shifted her gaze to the front of the room, where Narumi was smiling painfully at Hotaru.

"Oooh… I know that was an accident, Imai. I'm fine, don't worry about me!" he smiled, rubbing a sore spot on his chest. Mikan thought she heard Hotaru utter "I wasn't", but decided it didn't matter anyway.

She had been daydreaming, about the weekend to come, and how Class B planned to make a day trip to Central Town. Last time she had went, Mikan had brought three boxes of Howalons, which she had proudly saved up for with her one star allowance, _and _with no debts owed to Hotaru (that she knew of). She rested her head back into her hand, propped up on her elbows, and continued her dream.

"_Lovely Howalons!"_

"_Stocks rapidly decreasing!"_

"_Get in and buy some quick!"_

_She skipped towards the Howalon stand and, to her delight, saw no long, suffering queue. She brightly made her request._

"_Two boxes of your finest Howalon, please!" _

_The salesmen looked at each other, sharing a glance, then looked back to Mikan._

"_Why would you want __boxes__ of Howalon…" said one, " when you can have them from the air!" finished the other, and they both pointed upwards._

_Mikan looked up and saw the clouds begin to separate, crumbling. The pieces began falling, and Mikan felt them gently float down. She plucked one off the top of her head, and looked quizzically at the Howalon salesmen, who largely gestured an eating motion. _

"_Go on, try a piece!" one said eagerly._

_Mikan hesitantly placed the piece into her mouth, and instantly, rainbows burst into the sky. Angels seemed to sing in the distance, their choir voices providing beautiful harmonies. Mikan spread her arms wide, a big grin on her face, and twirled in the confectionery rain. The Howalon salesmen came from around the counter and picked Mikan up onto their shoulders. Suddenly a crowd formed, all chanting her name._

"_Mikan! Howalon! __Mikan! Howalon! Mikan! Mikan…"_

"Mikan? Mikan… Are you alright?" She opened her eyes to see the class representative's eternally apologetic expression staring into hers.

"Hmmm?" she mumbled in reply, a faint smile still on her face.

Yuu straightened up. "Mikan, class has finished. It's time for our ability classes, now," he explained to the obviously dazed girl.

Mikan looked around and saw the room empty, apart from the ends of the class filing out of the door. She looked back at Yuu and smiled nervously.

"Hehe… Sorry Tobita… Ah! Tsubasa will wonder where I am! " She quickly gathered her stuff and rushed out of the door in a fluster, completely forgetting about the exasperated Iinchou left standing in the middle of the classroom.

**O-O-O**

"Do you have any 6s?" asked Misaki Harada… or maybe her doppelganger.

"Nah, go fish." answered Misaki/Misaki's doppelganger.

The first Misaki reached over the table and drew a card from the deck. At the beginning of the class, Tonouchi had announced Nodacchi's time-travel absence, so the doppelgangers (six in total) settled down around a desk, playing a non-competitive game of cards to pass the time. Tsubasa, along with Megane, was killing the minutes with a pointless game of chucking chocolate buttons into the air and catching them in their mouths. The entire room was quieter than usual, and the atmosphere itself was considerably glum. Only a slight simmer of conversation could be heard in the whole room. After a while, Tsubasa and Megane ran out of sweets, so they approached Misaki.

"Hey, Misaki! Do you have any snacks we can borrow?" he grovelled.

The real Misaki (which happened to actually be the aforementioned 'first Misaki') turned and frowned at him.

"First of all, No. Secondly, how can you 'borrow' them if you're going t- hey!" she exclaimed as Tsubasa pinched her school bag and started to search through it.

"Aha! You _do_ have a snack," Tsubasa grinned smugly, holding up a Conference pear in one hand.

Misaki raised an eyebrow. "So you want to throw and catch a whole pear in your mouth?"

"…"

"Exactly." Misaki rolled her eyes as stalked up to Tsubasa and snatched her bag back, not before giving Tsubasa a mighty thwack upside the head.

Tsubasa and Megane retreated to the corner of the room, Tsubasa feeling a lump developing at the back of his head.

"It's so depressing in here…" Megane grumbled.

"I hear that," Tsubasa sighed in reply. "It's like there's something missing. But what?" They stood there in a melancholy silence for a few moments. And right then, the door was thrown open, and a young girl bustled in, cheeks red and puffing from running.

Tsubasa and Megane looked at each other, then simultaneously face-palmed.

"How could have I forgotten?" Tsubasa mumbled to himself, as he rushed over to Mikan. "My little kouhai!" he called out, "Are you okay?"

Mikan bowed her head to him. "Ah! Sorry Tsubasa! I was daydreaming in class and didn't realise th-" Tsubasa cut her off.

"The usual, then?" he grinned as he ruffled her hair.

Mikan smiled back at him, then at the whole room. "Good afternoon, everyone!"

The class broke into a clamour of voices, of bright replies and greetings.

Mikan started to animatedly tell an anecdote of her time in lessons, and subconsciously, the class slowly gravitated towards her, eager to hear her tale.

_Amazing, _Misaki thought to herself, _the moment she's here, the whole room seems to brighten up…_

**O-O-O**

The heels of the Lieutenant General's perfectly polished boots squeaked against the tiled flooring as he briskly walked towards the conference room. With a perfectly executed snap, the Lt. General halted, so the lower-ranked Colonel could stand and hold open the double doors. The occupants of the conference room stood as the respected figure entered and made way to the head of the meeting table. The Lt. General nodded, signalling them to be seated.

The walls of the conference room were lined with rich mahogany panels. In the centre of the room laid a magnificent table, plastered with maps and co-ordinations. Around the table sat the most honoured and valued members of their organization, each with their own division uniforms and respective badges. They all listened intently for the announcement the about to be made.

The Lt. General requested official reports and feedback, and as the party responded, the Colonel took her seat at the mapping table, two seats down from the Lt. General. She began to feel strange goose-bumps. She sensed something was wrong inside this room, and like instinct, her eyes shot to the large double doors of the room. They were shut, seemingly undisturbed, just as she left them. Still, she felt as though something was watching the room… Her head snapped back to attention as she heard the Lt. General address her.

The Lt. General looked at her, amused and slightly concerned. "Colonel, your report," it was repeated.

She apologised and stood to deliver her feedback. When she had finished, the only response she received was a slight nod. Taking her seat again, she sat back and quietly sighed. She silently cursed for letting herself get caught up in her thoughts. Frequenting this behaviour would eventually cost her her position, the one she had worked so hard to gain.

**O-O-O**

The room broke out into a round of laughter as Mikan reached the end of her story, and some of the older students cooed over her. The whole class were enjoying themselves, when Hatsuhara, a high school student with the Detecting Alice, shouted out.

"Hey, guys? I'm sensing Noda-sensei's Alice! I think he's coming in!"

The class didn't know where to look for Nodacchi's arrival, so they quietened down and kept their senses high. And sure enough, after about three seconds, holograph-like rays of Nodacchi crackled in near the resource cupboards. The teacher fell to the ground, panting heavily. The class shared gasps, as Mikan ran to his side.

"Noda-sensei? What has happened?" she cried, her voice and eyes full of concern.

Megane started to smile. "Yeah, Noda-sensei. Did you get chased by dinosaurs again?" But his smile instantly disappeared as Nodacchi looked up, a crazed, shocked expression on his face. "Noda-sensei?" he repeated.

Nodacchi stared through him, looking haunted. Then he uttered quietly, almost to himself, "No, I went to the future. The future…"

"What? What did you see?" Mikan shook him gently, slightly scared. The room was silent, and confused, waiting for his answer, and at the same time wondering whether they wanted to know.

Nodacchi was still distracted. "I saw, I saw…" he whispered brokenly. He suddenly whipped his head to face Mikan, and his eyes widened.

"Mikan… I saw Mikan…"

**O-O-O**

_Okaaaay! So that's chapter 1, a bit of a cliffhanger, I guess... What do you think is going to happen? Leave it in a review!  
>How was my writing skills? Grammar, spelling etc. Are there any sentences that don't make sense? Leave it in a review!<br>I had no idea what I was writing, it started off humorous, then I wanted a little drama... What do you think about the genre? Leave it in a review!  
>You guys can guess the theme here, right? I love reviews, they make the world go round! Or at least my face to smile! Like this <em>**:D**_ So leave one (or many)!_

_Lisee xx_


	2. Chapter 2

Gakuen Alice is completely **disclaimed**, rights go to the marvellous Higuchi Tachibana :D

**A Matter of Time  
><strong>by Koalas

CHAPTER 2

It was a cold evening, the clouds meshed together to create a dark blue-ish grey blanket, concealing the equally grey sky. A wind seeps through a window pane, producing an eerie creaking and a chilled breeze.  
>Wrapped in an overcoat, a teacher walks silently through a non-descript corridor of Gakuen Alice. At the other end of the corridor, one of his pupils rounds a corner, and, spotting him, they walk towards each other. As the teacher passes by his pupil, he hands him an envelope, previously concealed in the inner pocket of his coat. The only instructions he gives is, in a low voice, "When the time comes, get this to her. Make sure <em>no-one <em>finds it."  
>The teacher proceeds with his walk, without looking back at the pupil. The pupil shivers, then looks at the words scribbled on the envelope.<p>

_For Mikan…_

**O-O-O**

Two days after the commotion in the Special Ability classroom, Mikan called on Misaki, and together they hunted down Tsubasa. They found him lazing under a tree, behind some azalea bushes. His floppy hat was pulled down over his eyes, and there was a slight rise and fall to his chest.

"There you are, Tsubasa! I was looking all over for you!" Mikan squealed.

Tsubasa lifted his hat opened his eyes to see the two young women staring down at him.

"Yeah, how come whenever I don't want you around, you're constantly there, and in the rare occasion of me actually requesting your presence, you're out sleeping somewhere?" Misaki asked, slightly teasing and slightly annoyed.

Tsubasa smirked at this, and said "So you finally admit that you want me?" He opened his mouth to gloat more, but closed it quickly when he saw Misaki's vein pop and her fist clench.

"Hey, Tsubasa! Can you come with us to the infirmary? I want to visit sensei," Mikan asked/pleaded, hands clasped together.

"Of course," Tsubasa replied happily. He got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Let's go,"

As they were about to walk off Mikan saw Hotaru step out from behind the tree.

"Hotaru! Were you there the whole time?"

"If you want to believe that." Hotaru answered cryptically, then announced her participation in the infirmary visit.

Tsubasa and Misaki shared a 'Mikan-moment' of confusion, but it was Mikan (who looked the most confused of all) that voiced their puzzlement. "But how comes, Hotaru?"

Hotaru gave a look as if it were obvious. "I don't trust this monkey, to look after you." she stated, shooting a glance at Tsubasa. Tsubasa looked hurt whilst Misaki snickered.

"Tsubasa the chimpanzee, hehehe!" Misaki mocked. Mikan joined in the laughter, and Tsubasa just stood there, unimpressed. "Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled. It took the three of them a while to realize that Hotaru had left, and they probably wouldn't have realized if she had not called back over her shoulder whilst walking up the path to the infirmary "What are you zoo animals waiting for? I don't have all day,"

**O-O-O**

The Colonel sighed and rapped smartly on the door. She heard someone call 'Enter!' from within and slowly opened the door and marched in. She marched up to the large, oak desk and halted, feet shoulder width apart and hands clasped behind her back.

"You ordered for me, Lieutenant. General," she said simply, without looking at the figure stood behind the desk.

The Lt. General looked at her cooly. "Colonel, how is your division coming along? Training hard, I hope." They were questions but they sounded like statements.

"Yes, Lt. General. Air Training Unit was finished early due to the untimely EOU test, Lt. General. Weaponry Unit Course begins in less than a week, Lt General." she answered plainly and seemingly undisturbed, though inside her head she was slightly puzzled. _This is what my boss wanted? _she thought. She found it hard to believe that the Lt. General would call her in just to deliver the current status of her division.

The Lt. General gave a curt yet satisfied nod, and said "Well, I just wanted to inform you that I'll need all divisions to speed up and intensify the difficulty of the units. But since yours are already ahead of schedule, I guess there is no need. Well done, Colonel, I'll be sure to mention your merit to the General."

The Colonel grinned inside her head and made note to do a little happy dance after this meeting was finished. But then something the Lt. General had said dawned on her.

"If I may be permitted to ask, Lt. General, what is the reason for the increase of difficulty you request of the training units?"

"Well, Colonel, I don't think now is the right time nor place to be relaying vital information to you." The Colonel still didn't look at the Lt. General, though by his tone of voice she could tell that her boss was slightly annoyed at her question. She said nothing and hoped this wouldn't affect her merit.

The Lieutenant General sat at the desk and said rudely, "Dismissed, Colonel." signifying the end of the meeting. Yep, definitely annoyed, thought the Colonel. She pivoted on her left foot to face the door, then stamped her right foot down next to it, starting her march. She knew she should soon forget about the small meeting, she had more important matters to bother about.

**O-O-O**

Rumours of the commotion in the Special Ability class had gotten around the Academy, and eventually, the news had reached the higher ups, the school principles. The news troubled them slightly, so they got together and decided to let Nodacchi have a few days rest. One of the principles took more of an interest in the case, however, and proposed that it would be best to keep Nodacchi in the infirmary. The other principles felt something odd, but saw nothing wrong about the suggestion, so the decision was made.

This was how Nodacchi found himself in one of the private rooms, loaded with drugs and unconscious on the steely bed. When Mikan came in and saw him like this, she immediately cried out in horror.

"Noda-sensei? Noda-sensei! Hotaru! Why isn't he responding?" Mikan rushed to his side and began to shake him. Her eyes watered as Nodacchi's head rolled backwards and forwards. "Is he…?" she gulped. Tsubasa looked a bit panicked as he responded.

"No, he's not… Mikan, he's just unconscious, see?" He tried to smile and reassure her.

Mikan looked blank. Hotaru rolled her eyes and said to her "Unconscious means sleepy-time." Mikan widened her eyes, and nodded her head. "Idiot," Hotaru added, under her breath.

Just then Misaki started, and pointed to their teacher. "Look! I think he's waking up!" They all looked at Nodacchi expectantly, and sure enough, they saw his eyelids flicker, and body stir. His eyes opened, and began searching around franticly, trying to get his bearings. Finally Nodacchi's sight rested on Mikan, crouched next to his bed, and his eyes widened. His mouth pursed and his throat bobbed, small grunting sounds coming out.

"He's… trying to speak," Hotaru said, in a softer tone than her usual one.

Mikan peered down at Nodacchi. "Sensei?" she pressed.

"Mikan…" Nodacchi winced at obvious pain of talking. "Mikan… you have to, hide…" His voice was low and raspy, like he was using his last breaths to say this.

"Hide? Hide from what, sensei?" Mikan urged.

"They've… drugged me." he drew in a shaky breath. "Can't speak f… long… Get, the env-"

Nodacchi's words were cut off by the rushing in of two large men, in hospital scrub tops. Only Hotaru noted that they weren't wearing scrub bottoms, but instead pressed, black suit trousers, with shiny black shoes. They looked at Nodacchi in alarm and then at the visitors.

"I'm sorry, kids, I'm afraid you're going to have to leave," the taller one said. "Your… sensei is sick, and needs his medication."

"And you shouldn't take notice of the things he may have said, should they be… upsetting," added the second one quickly.

Tsubasa narrowed his eyes at this. "Why shouldn't we? What's going on with him? He wasn't this ill when he was taken in,"

The two men coughed and stared steadily at Tsubasa. "He's delirious. You have to leave. Now." Tsubasa stared right back at them, his face riddled with suspicion.

Hotaru took this as a chance to study Nodacchi, who was gripping Mikan's arm tightly. Hotaru noted his desperate expression. He found her gaze and held it for a few seconds, before mouthing the word _please_…

Misaki gently took Tsubasa by the shoulders and steered him towards the door. "Come on, Mikan! We need to give Noda-sensei his rest," she called to the girl, who still looked shaken by Nodacchi's words.  
>The children slowly and reluctantly filed out of the room, Hotaru the last to leave. When she reached the doorway, she threw a final glance back at Noda, whose eyes were beginning to become glazed, and the two men, staring down at her with cold eyes and plastic smiles.<p>

_Something is undoubtedly wrong here_, she thought, _but I don't think I'm going to like finding out what…_

**O-O-O**

_Thanks for reading folks, and big thank you to Winterberrytrillium, for leaving a lovely review! [**Side Note:** Go check her out! She's amazing :D] I love Go Fish too, hehe :)_  
><em>You guys know what to do, the review button is barely a click away...away...away...{echo}<em>

_Lisee xx_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimed** Gakuen Alice is.

**A Matter Of Time  
><strong>By Koalas

CHAPTER 3

Hotaru eyed Mikan. They were in Class B's form room, and the bright girl was energetically recounting a silly story about an iguana, or some other reptilian creature. Hotaru wasn't listening to her though. Partly because her mind was on other things, and partly because Mikan was a terrible story-teller.

"…So that's how the alligator ended up in the soup pot!" Mikan concluded her story, then looked pensive momentarily. "Oh yeah, it was a toy alligator by the way!"

Hotaru rolled her eyes and completely forgot about Mikan and her stupid alligator story. The cold, genius girl had of course known the alligator was a toy the whole time, it was obvious, but the way Mikan had told the story meant that anyone lacking excessive intellect would think otherwise, and be confused by the whole thing.

But, as mentioned before, there were other things on Hotaru's mind. The 'other things' were occupied mainly by the events in the infirmary yesterday.

Hotaru was almost positive that there was more to the story, and the way Nodacchi had looked and the words he had said convinced her further. And when Hotaru is positive about something, it is nearly always true. She suppressed a sigh.

Nodacchi was crazy and completely desperate, the way he talked to Mikan, as if the end was nigh. Hotaru had reflected and interpreted them as someone being in danger, and the youngest Imai had a deep, deep feeling of who it might be.

**O-O-O**

"…And that's how the alligator ended up in the soup pot!" Mikan finished her story cheerfully. She was recounting another tale of her life to the Special Ability occupants. Unfortunately, her lack of story-telling skills left the audience slightly (a lot) confused, as a wave a puzzled groans and 'huh?'s raised from them.

Mikan thought for a moment before a metaphorical light bulb pinged into life above her head, and she added, "Did I mention it was a _toy_ alligator?"

The class all together let out an 'Ohhhhhhh…' of comprehension and mutterings as 'It all makes sense now…' and so on.

Just then the buzzer rang, signalling time for break, and the students all hurried to collect their bags and left the classroom. Mikan felt someone touch her shoulder, and turned around to see Tonouchi, looking very nervous.

"Mikan, can I speak to you quickly now?" he stammered, "I have something to give you,"

Mikan nodded assuringly and followed Tonouchi to the cupboards, where he began to root through his satchel. Mikan's eyes brightened as her eyes landed on an envelope. Her mind instantly filled with elated thoughts of a letter from Grandfather, finally. She imagined it saying how wonderfully proud he was of her, and how he had persuaded Principal Yukihara to allow her to see him, and amazing scenarios of reunion.

But as she tentatively took the letter from Tono's hands, she felt herself extremely reluctant to open it. All she could hear was her own breath. Now that she had thought of all these wondrous possibilities, she had made herself so vulnerable to disappointment, and didn't know if she was strong enough to handle the buzzkill of it all.

Second after second ticked away, as she stood there, staring at the envelope, both her and Tono silent. The more she looked at the envelope, the more she brought herself to believe it couldn't be Grandfather who had sent the letter. The handwriting looked nothing like his; it looked as if someone had scrawled it violently in a moment of panic and hurry. She heard Tono say something but it sounded far away.

Mikan took a deep breath and flipped the envelope over. She brought her thumb to the corner of the flap, and slowly began to peel open the envelope.

When the flap was halfway open, a loud bang and some panting was heard as Tsubasa ripped open the door of the room and burst in, exclaiming, "Mikan! Tono! They've taken Noda-sensei! He's gone!"

The other two were horrified at Tsubasa's words, especially Tono. His eyes gazed through Tsubasa, like he was entranced, before he whispered, "Is this the time?"

**O-O-O**

A burly man in an anonymous black suit reached into his pocket and pulled out a chunky mobile phone. He pressed a single button, a speed dial, and put it to his ear as the connection started ringing. After two rings, the line was answered, and a deep, husky voice said, "What's happening?"

The man responded simply, "The mission was successful, we are now in possession of the one with the information."

A chuckle was heard on the other side of the line. "Are you sure no-one else knows anything?" the voice asked.

"Well, there were some children earlier who tried to speak to the subject, we stopped them but I'm not sure how far they got in talking to him, as in, how much he's said." the man said reluctantly.

The voice snarled, "Any risk is a big risk, you fool! You better track down those kids sharpish and make sure they don't get the chance to say anything!"

"How do I do that?"

"Offer them sweeties in exchange for their silence," the voice said sarcastically.

The man looked confused. "I'm not sure that would be very effecti-"

"Of course not, you idiot! Hypnotise them, string them up, I don't care! Just do whatever you have to do to shut…them…UP!" the voice spat down the phone, before the line went dead.

The man sighed, rubbed his face, and replaced the phone back into his pocket. He was having serious doubts about the mission, the one that had seemed so harmless when he had first accepted it. One thing's for sure, he was asking for a raise after this had finished…

**O-O-O**

_TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_

The Colonel blows her whistle and sharply shouts "Commence drills! 1,2!" Around thirty Privates line up in rows of six, proceed to draw and replace their rifles, then pivot-march in a perfect square, before arriving back at their original positions to stand to attention, all to the sound of the Colonel counting loudly.

The Colonel praises them for their good work then orders them to do fifteen consecutive drills. As the start to do so, she wanders over the arches, where a figure with long dark hair stood watching her squadron do the drills.

"Brigadier General," the Colonel addressed the person, with the respect owed to an officer of higher rank. "What brings you out to the training fields?"

The Brigadier General had a naturally gloomy disposition, although only a select few could make that gloominess disappear, and be replaced by a surprised and reluctant happiness. The Colonel was one of those few. However, at this moment in time, the Brig. General had a sombre expression, as they answered the question.

"The Lieutenant General has just messaged me, Colonel. The General of the Army is flying in."

**O-O-O**

Mikan was confused and distraught, as she began to stutter an incoherent string of questions, at Tsubasa's news. Tonouchi hurriedly said, "We can't stay here, I don't think we're safe," before he grabbed Mikan and motioned Tsubasa to follow him.

The three of them rushed out of the room, and quickly but quietly slinked down the corridor, narrowly skidding around a corner. Mikan was close to squealing and Tsubasa was lost.

"Tono!" he said, "Why are we running?"

Tonouchi turned his head to him slightly and replied, "You say Noda's been taken?" Tsubasa nodded in reply. "Well I have an idea that someone might be after Mikan," Mikan started at these words.

"What are you saying, Tono? Why - but- who's after me?"

They reached Tonouchi's room in the High School Division Boys' dorm. He fumbled around in his pocket before taking out his key and hurrying the other two into the room. Locking the door behind them, he turned to Mikan and said in serious tones, "Mikan, have you spoken to Nodacchi since the incident?"

Mikan nodded her head faintly, before speaking up and saying, "We went to visit him in the infirmary yesterday. Me, Tsubasa, Hotaru and Misaki, I mean,"

Tonouchi looked very tense. "Did you guys see anything out of the ordinary?"

This time Tsubasa spoke. "Yes, we tried to speak to him, but these two big men rushed in, and basically told us to get lost. Noda was trying to tell Mikan something before that, actually. Right, Mikan?"

Both boys looked at Mikan expectantly, and she grew even more scared. Tonouchi asked her if she remembered what Nodacchi was saying.

"He said… something about, I need to hide or… and like drugs or something?" she looked close to tears, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I really can't remember!" Mikan cried.

"It's okay Mikan," Tsubasa soothed, whilst Tonouchi paced up and down his room, chewing ravenously on his nails. The others thought they heard him muttering to himself. Suddenly, he whipped his head around, and advanced on Mikan.

"The envelope!" he cried. "Mikan, the envelope was from Nodacchi, he probably explained everything in the letter! Quick, open it up,"

Mikan perked up instantly and clasped her hand- and immediately gasped in horror.

"I - I don't have the envelope," she yelled.

Tonouchi's eyes widened. "What do you mean you haven't got the envelope?" he shouted, "I gave it to you only a few minutes ago! Where could it have gone?"

"I don't know," Mikan began to sob.

Tsubasa hugged her tightly as he tried to calm her down.

Tonouchi ran his hand through his hair and over his face in frustration. "It must've been dropped somewhere in the hallways when we were running. Oh god, anyone could have picked it up by this time! I'll have to go back and search the halls. Meanwhile, you guys stay here!" And Tonouchi left the room, leaving the key with a worried Tsubasa, hugging a slightly less hysterical Mikan.

**O-O-O**

The sound of high-technology machinery finely whirring filled the school corridor, echoed and rang in the empty hall. The majority of students outside enjoying the weather, or already eating, meant a lone figure made their way towards the canteen.

Impulsively, the whirring stopped as the person spied something on the ground. They stooped down and carefully picked a slightly crumpled, half open envelope. They turned it over, studied it, then silently slipped it into the pocket of their blazer. _This could prove to be extremely handy_, they thought.

**O-O-O**

_Another (late) installment of AMOT!  
>I am such a horrible authoress DX I am sooooooo sorry this took too long, it's a mixture of Writer's Block and laziness :( *waggles finger at self* -I actually did it too :) To make up for it, I shall write the next chapter so quickly you'll feel like you've seen a lightning bolt (hopefully without the blindingness, if my writing is that bad) And by quickly, I mean like, within the next two days, mhm.<br>Without making this sound like an acceptance speech, I'd like to give big thanks to all the silent readers, favouriters and alerters, you guys rock beyond belief \m/  
>And also, the ever-wonderful Winterberrytrillium, for her reviews and support xxx!<em>

_AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
>Apology for delinquency <em>[ x ] Check!  
><em>Thanks to all readers and reviewers <em>[ x ] Check!_  
>Selfish request for more reviews <em>[ ] Gasp! What am I doing with my life!

_What are you waiting for, then? Hit that review button (and feel free to reprimand my neglectfulness (is that a word?), too)!_

_(an apologetic) Lisee xx_


	4. Chapter 4

What? You mean **I _don't _own Gakuen Alice**? What do you mean it was all a dream?

**A Matter Of Time  
><strong>By Koalas

CHAPTER 4

A discreet black car was parked slightly farther away from the curb than it should be. Two large men in dark attire sat in it, watching.  
>Watching the silent and morose rivulets of the rain, sliding down their windows.<br>Watching the stillness of the external world, save the grey puddles rippling at each drop.  
>But most of all, watching for something beyond that. Someone.<p>

Both watches ticked in perfect synchronisation.

One thought about the task at hand, as he had been for the last 5 hours, anxiously tapping his right foot against the carpeted flooring on the passenger side.

One sighed, and shifted in his seat, covering his physical nervousness with a façade of boredom, and in result breaking the fragile silence surrounding them.

Finally, something stirred that gained their attentions. The one in the passenger seat took out a file from the glove box, and pulled out a document with four pictures on them. He consulted it quickly, then observed out the window again.

Seemingly satisfied, he replaced the file carefully and locked the glove box. He gave the other man a quick nod and a fleeting hand gesture, then, perfectly in time, the two exited the car and started walking, completely disregarding the rain.

In no time they reached a barrier, but one easily overcome. One of the men's hands began to glow, a deep blue iridescence. The gate swung open, and the two men made their way inside, past the pearly gates marking the entrance of Gakuen Alice.

**O-O-O**

Mikan sat down in her seat with a massive, weary exhale. Her partner peered at her from behind his comic, and quirked an eyebrow upwards. He had noticed her sudden lack of energy the past two days. At first he had thought she was prematurely stressing about the upcoming exams, although in this sense, 'upcoming' meant three months away.  
>Although that made sense, he had enough intelligence to realise that not even Mikan would go as far as three months advance for stressing over exams. Especially exams that she'll delude herself into thinking she'll pass.<p>

He considered other possible reasons for his partner's mood, and the thought of someone getting her down or making her feel bad crossed his mind. He immediately bristled, and tightened his grip on his comic. As much as his pride didn't want him to do, he couldn't help feeling slightly protective of the little creature Narumi had forced upon him as a partner. And if bullying was the case, he felt himself responsible, or at least gallant enough to sort the little twerp out.

He observed Mikan again, to see her heave another fretful sigh and slump down in her chair, head resting on the desk. He definitely had to do something about her.

Wholly oblivious to her partner's perusal, Mikan nestled her head in her folded arms on the desk, and blocked out the rest of her class. Her mind was completely full.

After Tonouchi had left his room that night to search for the envelope, Tsubasa had managed to calm her down to just occasional moans and whimpers. Tonouchi had seemed to be taking ages, though, and the two were getting restless, hungry, and mostly worried.

Tsubasa offered to go and look for Tonouchi, but after less than a minute's discussion, it was decided a bad idea, especially to leave Mikan on her own. She would have been scared out of her wits to be by herself in a Boys' Dorm, above all the High School Division's ones. And of course, given to the current speculation of danger, it wouldn't seem very wise.

So instead, they raided Tonouchi's room, ate some snacks, and waited. Oh, how they waited. It had almost been two and a half hours before Tonouchi finally flurried into the room, his face screaming disappointment and frustration.

"It's not there- I mean, everywhere- I've looked everywhere, and it's not anywhere!" he gasped.

Both Tsubasa and Mikan were dismayed by the news. But the real horror struck when they realised that if the envelope wasn't found, then someone else must have it…

Mikan moaned loudly turned her head to face the other side, earning another unseen yet concerned glance from her partner. She wished Tonouchi and Tsubasa hadn't urged her to go to classes, she felt so jittery, and, if she dared to think about it, rather unsafe.

Out of the blue, a note flew through the air and landed on her desk right next to her head, making her jump extraordinarily loudly. She thought she heard Natsume give an inaudible scoff. Mikan, however, couldn't stop shaking slightly, after the shock, her whole body. It took her a good five seconds to calm her shaky hands, and another few seconds to calm her nerves.

But as she looked around the room, eagerly craning her neck to find the giver of the note, she saw no-one even paying attention to her, or giving off any reaction that a note had been thrown in the middle of class. This spooked Mikan out to an end, and she couldn't help beginning to hold her breath as she unfolded the note. She read it silently, once, then again. It stilled her, her eyes transfixed on the message. It was an instruction, but Mikan was too petrified to think about it. Her main concern was whether the sender of the note was 'on her side' or out to get her. A friend or foe.

She then turned her attentions to the actual instruction. Was it safe to do so alone? Should she let somebody know? She decided, after class she'd show Tonouchi the note and get his opinion on the matter.

As the buzzer rang for end of period, she quickly scooped up her school books, stuffing the note hastily into her pocket, then rushed out of the room. Her partner observed her curiously. Mikan was clearly unaware to the fact he had managed to read her note over her shoulder, and he wasn't pleased with what he saw. His mind was definitely made up now. That idiot had gotten herself into some sort of trouble, and he would be there to sort it out…

He passed by the freak inventor Imai on his way out of the classroom, surprised to see her give him an intense stare, when she saw him looking at Mikan. It was safe to say he was rather confused, but Imai just steadily held his gaze, and gave a solid yet almost imperceptible shake of her head. She carried on walking, not taking any more notice of him.

**O-O-O**

"What did you say? I mean, ma'am!"

The Brigadier General looked sympathetic. "The General of the Army. He arrives tomorrow. I only just found out..."

The General of the Army is flying in.

The Brigadier General's words repeated over and over inside the Colonel's head. Is this what the Lieutenant General was being so evasive about?  
>The Colonel wondered about the situation at hand. This didn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. Presuming that ... Yes! It was one of his biannual inspections on their divisions. Everyone knew about them, and the division leaders always put in more effort when they happened. Now that the Colonel thought about it, that must have been why the Lt. General had requested intensity in their training.<p>

The inspections happened every year, an inspection in April and then in October. But, the more the Colonel thought, the more it seemed…wrong. For one, they were in the middle of June. What could this mean? If the GoA wasn't coming for inspections, then the Colonel had no idea what was going on.

"Brigadier General, ma'am. Do you know any further information regarding the General of the Army's visit, ma'am?" the Colonel looked hopeful.

"I'm sorry Colonel, I have no other information to disclose," replied the Brig. General, "As a matter of fact, Colonel, I am not 100 percent positive I should be disclosing this information to you right now. You should be tending to your squadron, apologies for taking up your training time,"

The Colonel nodded solemnly, and watched as the Brigadier General walked idly away.  
>She couldn't quite let the matter go, though. Perhaps there was a formal meeting for the Army's officials?<br>Her team finished their drills with a final snap to attention, and the Colonel slowly walked towards them. She wasn't ready to deal with them as of yet, her mind still elsewhere. Instead she, yelled at them for sloppy drills, ordered them to do five more - properly - followed by a round of the obstacle course. Despite being fully aware that she could be punished for neglecting her team, she left them to it, and let her mind wander once more. After a couple minutes' thinking time, it occurred to her, the only other reason the GoA would ever stir from his practical hibernation is if there's a-

The Colonel gasped and shook her head. She left her division, still doing their consecutive drills, and broke into a brisk walk, heading for someone in particular.

Things were bad. Very bad, indeed.

**O-O-O**

Unless she was being aggravated by a certain 'chimpanzee', Misaki Harada was usually a laid-back person. However, at the moment, as she walked down the gravel path leading to her dorm, she was incredibly on edge. Misaki was very aware of a hidden presence, which seemed to be following her, or had been for the last five minutes. It was awful and unpleasant, making her very bones uncomfortable.

Then, she heard the footsteps. Footsteps that could only belong to more than one person, how many, she wasn't sure. The footsteps weren't getting quieter or louder, just an incredibly steady distance from her, but still undeniably following her. She chanced a glance behind her back, but found nothing. Misaki was beyond freaked out.

This time Misaki made a full 180 degree turn to face her pursuers. Still she couldn't find anything.

"What do you want?" she shouted. She got no response. "Why are you following me?" she tried again but in vain.

"Just so you know, I am very capable of kicking butts, here, including yours!" Misaki tried intimidating them, but the words came out more desperate than she hoped. "Whoever you are…" she muttered.

Giving up on communication, Misaki continued her walk, though in her haste to get away from this unusual and possibly threatening presence, she quickened her pace. The footsteps quickened.

Misaki was becoming more and more scared by the second as she broke out into a sprint. She couldn't hear the footsteps anymore, with her heavy breathing and the wind rushing past her ears. She was completely pumped with the adrenaline of it all.

Finally, she reached the dorm and slammed the entrance shut behind her. Thank goodness nobody was around, otherwise she would have serious explaining to do, and risk looking like a mad woman. As her breathing calmed down, she leant an arm on the door. Everything had quietened now.

BLAM! Just then, the door began to shake violently, something from the outside jostling it around. Misaki screamed and fumbled for the multiple locks on the inside. She backed away from the door, and ran all the way to her room, eyes blinded with the hot tears of being frightened. Hurriedly, she searched around for her room keys and struggled to insert them into her lock.

Before she could enter, though, she spotted a tiny clockwork turtle, continuously trying to run into her closed door. There was something attached to its shell. Uncertainly, she looked around her before crouching down to retrieve a piece of paper. It was addressed to her and she had to gruffly wipe away her tears before reading it.

She gulped, tucked the note into her shirt pocket, and looked around her once more before setting off down the corridor, in a different direction to her room.

**O-O-O**

Hotaru knitted her eyebrows in annoyance. The _idiot_ was late. Which meant the meeting was late. Unfortunately, Hotaru knew why Mikan was late, and it irked her. She was deliberately disobeying Hotaru's instructions. She was pretty sure, any moment now, Mikan would enter the room, timidly, dragging along-

The door creaked open and one of Mikan's silly pigtails flopped into view before her eyes peeked around the door. She took a sharp, inward breath when she saw Hotaru, Tsubasa and Misaki all sat down around one of Class B's desk.

"What-? What are you guys doing here?" Mikan asked, shocked.

"What's going on, Mikan?" a deeper voice said, before Tonouchi stepped into the room, quickly changing his expression from confusion and wariness, to confusion and surprise. "You guys…?"

"Tonouchi? I would have thought you'd drag along Hyuuga, Mikan. Oh well, glad to see you're finally here," Hotaru said monotonously, with a hint of sarcasm. "Though, I see you've disobeyed the instructions on the note I gave you," Here she narrowed her eyes at Tonouchi.

"I'm sorry I brought him along, Hotaru, I was scared!" Mikan apologised, at the same time Tono exclaimed incredulously, "The note was from you, Imai?" Mikan thought for a second, before parroting,

"Wait a minute, the note was from you, Hotaru?"

**O-O-O**

_Ugh, that was an awful chapter, at least I feel so. I dunno, it just didn't flow as well for me as the others did when I was writing it. ^sigh^ It was also meant to be longer, much longer, but I have decided to split it into two, because too much info in one chapter spoils the broth... or something like that. _

_If any of you happen to know about the position of General of the Army, you will probably already know what the end of the Colonel's sentence was ;)_

_Okay, I just HAVE to special mention those of you who gave reviews. Here you guys are: _Alice-Lover-3_, _Crimson-midnight-Moon_, and _TheCrimsonThatStainsMyHeart_. You guys are just too awesome for words (ignore the ones I'm using right now). They all touch my heart in the most sincere, sweetest way possible :3_

_I shall update soon! And please review, they're like energy drinks to me. Glug._

_Lisee xx_


	5. Chapter 5

I'm not Higuchi Tachibana. I'm not a genius. So I cannot own Gakuen Alice :(

**A Matter Of Time**  
>By Koalas<p>

CHAPTER 5

Hotaru resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and gave a simple nod. "I called you all here. Well," she gave a pointed look at Tonouchi, "I called _most_ of you here. To put it simply, we are all in danger."

Tsubasa raised a finger and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off.

"How do I know?" Hotaru continued, ignoring him, "This document, which I believe truly belongs to Mikan."

Hotaru pulled out a creased envelope and handed it to Mikan, who, naturally, dropped it. She quickly scrambled for it, and was about to open it, when Hotaru stopped.

"Hold on Mikan," said Hotaru, walking to the door, and lowering her voice, "I need to take care of some_thing_ first," She yanked open the door, and a slightly surprised Natsume stumbled in to the room. He swiftly recovered, acting as if he was expecting it. He gave a hardly noticeable scan of the room, pausing at Mikan, before he settled his defiant gaze on Hotaru.

She looked steely, back at him. "Hyuuga," She began simply.

"Imai, y-"

"I don't care, Hyuuga." Hotaru cut in, somewhat annoyed at being interrupted. "We can discuss your sneaking around at a later date. There isn't time. Luckily you haven't heard too much, so you have a choice. You can leave now, and save yourself a world of trouble. Or you can stay, and see the contents of the envelope. You understand, though, if you choose the latter option, you can't back out." Hotaru concluded her unusually lengthy proposal, and waited impatiently for Natsume's answer.

Natsume narrowed his eyes in confusion and hostility at Hotaru, before peeking at Mikan, through his bangs, out of the corner of his eyes. She had on her wide-eyed, hopeful expression that he hated to love.

He sighed in his head, then replied Hotaru the affirmative. He was in.

**-O-**

One man jogged around the corner where he saw his partner, waiting patiently by a signpost.

"I know where the others are," he started, and his partner raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"They're all gathered in one room, along with a couple other pupils." he finished with grimace.

"So, what's the problem? Let's get them!"

The agent rolled his eyes. "Have you learnt nothing from training? Never try to get more than two victims at a time. God, you can be such a pinhead sometimes, always rushing into things!"

His partner bristled, offended. "Don't blame me if I'm able to think on my feet, and you're stuck in your own mud, incapable of taking risks!"

He took a step forward, as if to act violent, before catching himself and shaking his head. "It's not worth the risk,"

"Hello? In case, you've been asleep these past two days: this is an emergency!"

"We're under strict orders, not to balls this mission up!"

"We're under strict orders to get this done as quickly as possible!"

The agent looked around him, and sighed at his partner. "Look, we're never going to get anything done at this rate, what are we going to do?"

His partner stared at the sky for a while. Scrubby clouds were sparse, but the sky behind them was still a foggy, murky blue, like it was polluted. Somewhere in the meagre pool he found inspiration, as it wasn't long before he looked back at the other agent and grinned slowly.

"How far is the room from here? I have an idea…"

**-O-**

_Mikan,_

_From the day I time-tripped, and arrived back at the Special Ability classroom, I knew life at Alice Academy would change, drastically. _

_If successful, Tonouchi Akira should be able to get this to you in time. I would deliver it myself, but I have a feeling that once the academy's big shots hear about my experience, no doubt I'll be removed from contact with you guys. Akira is my most trusted student. I have to tell you what happened during my time-trip._

_I can't say for certain where it was. I know it was in the future. How distant, I couldn't say. I was watching a meeting, where officers of some sort were sat around a table. The officers were planning some sort of attack, the point of their attack being something close to you and me. I watched the whole thing, and watched as one officer cleared up after everyone else had left. When I saw her face, I must have gasped, because she looked up and saw me, looking at her. She was freaked out, asking what I was doing there._

_That's what scared me that day, Mikan. She saw me._

_I don't know if you know this, but while I travel, I enter an empty place, a room of nothingness where I can use a window to see into the past or future. I like to simply call it 'time space'. Only when I pass through the window am I actually transported to that time, and anything there can interact with me. Otherwise, whilst I am in time space, no-one can see or hear me. Like a two-way mirror. You see the reason for my shock._

_The only plausible explanation I can give is that those people, or perhaps the future in general, are able to glitch my Alice, or worse, any Alice. Regardless, these people are dangerous._

_What does any of this have to do with you Mikan? You're probably very confused. The thing, is that the officer that saw me was the spitting image of you. And I have no doubt that you will play an important role in the events to follow._

_If they _have_ already come for me, I fear it's only a matter of time before you are pursued. You can't become a part of this, Mikan. You have to stay safe, and stay away. I can't tell you why right now, but they aren't people you want to get involved with._

_Do everything in your power to stay safe. It's your only hope, and hopefully, will impede whatever this attack is about._

_Noda-sensei_

**-O-**

Mikan concluded in a shaky voice. When she looked up, every face in the room was turned to hers, a variety of emotions strewed across them. Some mouths were hung open, some were stern and tight. Some looked shaken, others closed off. All eyes were wide and disbelieving.

Mikan was shaking her head, confused and shivering. "What does any of this mean? Who's coming after me?"

Long seconds of hesitance passed before Tonouchi piped up. "So, what, some dangerous, secret organization from the future are planning to kidnap Mikan?"

"That doesn't really add up," Tsubasa shot down.

"Well, I'm only trying to make sense of all this," Tonouchi retorted, slightly on the defensive.

"That would only work if they planned to go back in time to get her,"

"Well, there you go then!"

Tsubasa raised his voice. "Not really, because then what? Do they keep her, here in this time, or take her back with them to the future?"

Misaki broke in, annoyed. "You guys aren't seriously bickering at a time like this? And you're talking as if they're going to get Mikan. I'm pretty sure we have to help her stay safe. At least, that's why you called us here, right, Hotaru?"

The young inventor confirmed with a small nod.

Then Mikan, who had been silent the whole time, asked, "Is there any idea what the organization wants? Apart from me, I mean?" She looked from face to face, each one coming up blanks. "Noda writes that they're targeting something 'close to you and me'. Couldn't he elaborate? I mean, if he watched the whole thing, why couldn't he just tell us what was going on?"

Her voice was louder than necessary. Her eyes were shiny and her lips were trembling. The others just looked on in shock. It was very rare to see Mikan in a state of anger, or more accurately, frustration.

Another cloak of silence shrouded the room.

Hotaru was the first to speak. "What else is in the envelope, Mikan?"

Mikan dug her hand around before pulling out what looked like an average, dark green gemstone.

"An Alice stone…" Tsubasa breathed.

"But who's…?" Misaki voiced everyone's thoughts.

"It's most likely Noda's," Hotaru stated. "At any rate, you should keep hold of it, Mikan. It may come to be useful,"

Mikan nodded animatedly and placed the stone carefully in her jacket pocket. Then Hotaru walked over to Mikan, took the letter and tossed it to Natsume.

"You've been awfully quiet, Hyuuga." They narrowed their eyes at each other. "Please get rid of the letter accordingly. It's evidence, which may fall into the wrong hands."

Natsume frowned.

"Something wrong, Hyuuga?" Hotaru asked, unpleasantly.

"My Alice won't work." he said curtly, his frown deepening.

Hotaru right eye twitched, and she turned to Tsubasa and Misaki. "Are your Alices functioning properly?"

Misaki went still for a moment, before she gasped and shook her head in shock and disbelief. "No…"

Tsubasa stepped on Misaki's shadow, face screwed with concentration. He exhaled suddenly, "Can you move?"

Misaki raised her arms and shook her legs out in answer.

"Something's wrong here," Hotaru's face was grim.

Natsume spoke again. "It's as if… I'm being nullified."

Everyone's head swung to meet Mikan's, who looked like the proverbial deer in headlights. "I'm not doing anything, honest!"

Hotaru's eyes creased in unusual worry. "Is it possible you're leaking out Alice power by accident…?" she muttered to herself, really. "Tonouchi, are amplifying Mikan's Alice?" she asked sternly. He shook his head dumbly.

Misaki took a step back, considerably freaked. "What's going on?"

And then Hotaru collapsed.

**-O-**

All regulation was thrown out the window. The Colonel burst into the Lieutenant General's office, leaving the door wide open and slammed up against the wall, and, forgetting a formal salute, stormed right up to the wide, oaken desk. Both palms firmly planted on the surface, she looked sternly at her superior, breathing heavily.

"Lt. General, what is the meaning of this?" She didn't let him answer. "The division's training increase, the meetings, the _General of the Army_ flying in!"

e narrowed his eyes. "So you've heard-"

"Yes, I've heard! How long did you think you could keep this from us? Did you really think we wouldn't be able to find out sooner or later? If what I think's happening is actually happening, wouldn't it be more wise to let us know sooner?" She paused, realising she was practically shouting, and lowered her voice.

"This is serious, Lieutenant General. We deserve recognition at times like these. Even if we don't deserve it, we need to be involved. Say something!"

The Lieutenant General stared up during the whole spectacle, coolly sat behind the desk. He listened to the Colonel's passionate rant. He watched as she curled her trembling hands into fists and banged them against the desk for emphasis. But now it was his turn. He slowly and deliberately got up from his chair, eyes down and shielded.

"How dare you waltz into my office, uninvited, and seem to be under the delusion that you can speak to me in this manner!"

He raised his head with this, and the Colonel could see his eyes blazing with unguarded fury. His voice was controlled, but it still boomed, resonating around the room, and the Colonel took a step back, flinching, as though the voice physically pushed her.

"How dare you! Have you forgotten that this is a professional establishment, and the way you are acting is completely inappropriate. I can have you finshed, here, Colonel, completely finished! 'If what you think is happening'. If you really want to know, _Colonel_, you are the only person I didn't bother to inform of the situation. And this is exactly why."

He took a breath and gestured to the door. "If I were you, Colonel, I'd walk out that door right now, and try to redeem yourself. Prove that I shouldn't have you _removed _from this organization straight away. This won't happen again."

He continued to stare hard at her, as she quietly made her way back out of his office, shutting the door as softly as possible behind her. She hung her head for a few moments, before straightening her uniform, and marching briskly back to her own office. She had never seen the Lieutenant General that angry before. She had really done it, now.

And what did he mean, she was the only head officer he didn't notify? Did he really predict her outburst, or was there some other reason? Even so, it didn't hide the fact that there was something _to_ notify, meaning he basically confirmed her suspicion. They were preparing for war.

**-O-**

_Well. I have been bad. I know, I know, but I think you guys should know by now - I'm not a frequent updater! I shall try to be better... forgive?  
>I really hope you guys are enjoying the story, I've slightly lost inspiration. Hopefully in the next chapter, I can start getting into the action-y bit, and you'll see Natsume (in particular) in action. Click that link, and tell me what you think! (that rhymed :3) I'm happy to get any reviews at all, I know how lazy we can be (guilty)<em>

_Lisee xx  
><em>


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